Belt

ABSTRACT

Herein described is a belt including a unitary buckle which is used to connect the ends of the belt together around the user&#39;&#39;s waist. The buckle includes a relatively flat member having a pair of openings therein which forms a center cross member between the openings. One end of the belt is coupled to the cross member. An inwardly extending tab protrudes from one side of the flat member towards the cross member. The other end of the belt has a plurality of locking apertures which are formed to match the shape of the tab. The belt is encircled around the wearer&#39;&#39;s waist and is inserted into the opening in the buckle having the locking tab. The tab is then inserted into a suitable opening in the belt and the remainder thereof is inserted through the opening.

I United States Patent [151 Dolan 1 Apr. 4, 1972 [54] BELT 1,397,673ll/l92l Buchsbaum ..24/l86 Inventor: Charles E. Dolan, 13234 ChaseStreet, 102,076 4/1870 Adair ..24/l76 Panorama City, Calif. 91402Primary Examiner Bobby Gay [22] Filed: July 23, 1970 AssistantExaminer-Garry Moore Attorney-Victor Sepulveda [21] Appl. No.: 57,542

[57] ABSTRACT [52] U.S. Cl ..24/l98, 2/351, 24/77, Herein described is abelt including a unitary buckle which is 24/ 1 86 used to connect theends of the belt together around the users [51] Int. Cl. ..A44b 11/00waist. The buckle includes a relatively flat member having a [58] Fieldof Search ...24/l98, 176, 186, 180, 174, pair of openings therein whichforms a center cross member 24/177, 187, 77; 2/321 between the openings.One end of the belt is coupled to the cross member. An inwardlyextending tab protrudes from one 5 References Ci side of the flat membertowards the cross member. The other end of the belt has a plurality oflocking apertures which are UNITED STATES PATENTS formed to match theshape of the tab. The belt is encircled around the wearers waist and isinserted into the opening in 900,774 10/1908 Pearl ..24/l76 the bucklehaving the locking The tabis then inserted into 2076925 4/ I937stemberg' a suitable opening in the belt and the remainder thereof isin- 764,999 7/1904 Gallert..... .2/321 Sened through the opening1,357,483 ll/1920 Tabler ...2/32l 2,667,677 2/1954 Ganz .24/l76 3Claims, 6 Drawing Figures BELT BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field ofthe Invention This invention relates to belts and belt buckles and moreparticularly relates to a novel and improved fastening arrangement forsecuring the ends of the belt together.

2. Discussion of the Prior Art Heretofore many devices have been devisedto secure the separable ends of a belt together. Yet, no single devicehas, until now, been discovered which is easy and inexpensive tomanufacture yet pleasing to the eye. Further, the prior art belt bucklesare complicated in nature and even sometimes difficult to interlock theends of the belt.

Also, prior art buckles have heretofore been made of metal which is notalways desirable. This is because these metallic buckles require the useof a metal finger which is attached to the cross member. This finger isused to lock the ends of the belt together. It may be that this metalbuckle and finger is either not pleasing in appearance or may be harmfulbecause of its sharp edges.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention overcomes thedifficulties of the prior art by providing a belt having a unitarybuckle attached to one end thereof which has a pair of openings thereindefining a cross member thereacross. A wedge-shaped locking tab extendsinwardly with one of said opening towards said cross member. The lockingtab is substantially tapered on the bottom thereof. The separable end ofthe belt has a plurality of oblong slots spaced thereon which areadapted to receive the locking tab when inserted into the openingthereof.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS These and other features and advantages willbecome more apparent to those skilled in the art when taken intoconsideration with the following detailed description wherein likereference numerals indicate like and corresponding parts and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the belt incorporating the principles ofthis invention;

FIG. 2 is a top view of the buckle used in the belt;

FIG. 3 is a section view taken along the lines 3-3 ofFIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side view of the buckle with the belt coupled thereto;

FIG. 5 is a top view ofthe separable end ofthe belt; and

FIG. 6 is a top view of another embodiment of the buckle incorporatingthe principles of this invention with the belt end coupled thereto.

DESCRIPTION OF ONE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings,there is shown in FIG. 1 a single preferred embodiment of a beltincorporating the principles of this invention and is referred togenerally by the numeral 10. A buckle 12 is secured to the belt 10 onone end thereof in the manner shown specifically in FIG. 3.

The exterior periphery shape of the buckle 12 may be of a variety ofshapes such as oval as shown in FIG. 2, or rectangular as shown in FIG.6. Further, this shape may be round or square (not shown) or in anydesirable shape.

In this embodiment, the material which the belt 10 may be comprised ofmay be fabric, leather, plastic, or any suitable material which iscapable of being extended around the waist of the wearer and yet beflexible enough to conform to the wearers shape. The buckle 12 may bemade of a relatively hard material such as plastic, wood, metal orleather. In this embodiment, it is preferred that both the buckle l2 andbelt 10 be comprised of leather.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 depicting one shape of the buckle 12, it canbe seen that buckle 12 has a pair of openings cut therein. Opening 14 isshown as rectangular in shape.

Opening 16 is substantially rectangular in shape exce t that a lockingtab 18 is provide thereon. The openings 1 and 16 define a cross member20 therebetween.

One end 22 of the belt 10 is connected to the cross member 20 in asuitable manner. In the described and shown embodiment the end 22 islooped around cross member 20 and folded back upon the belt 10. Themanner to which the end is secured back to the belt 10 is a matter ofchoice such as rivets, etc. In the chosen embodiment the securing isaccomplished by glue.

The locking tab 18 formed in the opening 18 is shown in a frustum orsemi-triangular shaped whereby the sides 24 and 26 are tapered inwardlyto a flat top edge 28. A short distance is left between the top edge 28and the cross member 20 to facilitate locking the tab 18 in a manner yetto be described. The underside 30 is shown as being tapered upwardlytowards the end. This is sometimes referred to in the leather workingindustry as being skifed. This tapered end is further used to facilitatethe locking thereof.

The belt buckle 12 may be made by hand by cutting the desired shape fromthe material. This, of course, would take a person highly skilled in theleather working craft. On the other hand, it would be more desirable,should mass production be desired, to automatically die stamp thebuckles 12.

The end 32 includes a plurality of oblong slots 34 which may extend fromthe end 32 back a desired distance. The number of slots 34 is anarbitrary number but should be sufficient to facilitate properadjustment of the encircled belt around the wearer's waist.

Once the belt 10 is encircled around the wearers waist, end 32 isconnected to the buckle in a unique and novel manner. Specifically, end32 is first inserted into opening 16 from the underside thereof, thatis, from the side nearest the wearer's body. The belt end 32 is pulledthrough opening 16 to the desired fit and locking tab 18 is insertedinto the nearest slot 34. Thereafter, the remainder of end 32 isinserted into opening 14.

While there has been but a limited number of embodiments shown, asrequired, it should be understood that many alterations may be made andstill remain within the spirit and scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A belt and buckle combination comprising:

a relatively elongated strip adapted to encircle the waist of a wearer,said strip having a first end and a second end;

a relatively fiat member comprised of a relatively flexible material;

a first opening in said flat member for receiving the first end of saidelongated strip therein;

a second opening in said flat member adjacent said first opening forfurther receiving the first end of said elongated strip therein after ithas passed through said first opening;

a cross member in said flat member defined between said first and saidsecond openings and having the second end of said strip secured thereto;

a substantially wedge-shaped locking tab integrally formed in said flatmember and disposed in said first opening and extending towards saidcross member, said tab having continuously uniform edges on the sidesthereof extending inwardly towards each other from the bottom endstoward said cross member; and

a plurality of elongated slots spaced along the first end of said stripbeing substantially normal to the length of said strip, whereby saidlocking tab being adapted to be inserted into a selected one of saidelongated slots to secure the belt around the wearers wrist.

2. The combination as defined in claim 1, wherein said locking tab alsobeing tapered on the bottom thereof whereby said tab becoming thinnertowards the cross member.

3. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein said first openingbeing substantially rectangular.

1. A belt and buckle combination comprising: a relatively elongatedstrip adapted to encircle the waist of a wearer, said strip having afirst end and a second end; a relatively flat member comprised of arelatively flexible material; a first opening in said flat member forreceiving the first end of said elongated strip therein; a secondopening in said flat member adjacent said first opening for furtherreceiving the first end of said elongated strip therein after it haspassed through said first opening; a cross member in said flat memberdefined between said first and said second openings and having thesecond end of said strip secured thereto; a substantially wedge-shapedLocking tab integrally formed in said flat member and disposed in saidfirst opening and extending towards said cross member, said tab havingcontinuously uniform edges on the sides thereof extending inwardlytowards each other from the bottom ends toward said cross member; and aplurality of elongated slots spaced along the first end of said stripbeing substantially normal to the length of said strip, whereby saidlocking tab being adapted to be inserted into a selected one of saidelongated slots to secure the belt around the wearer''s wrist.
 2. Thecombination as defined in claim 1, wherein said locking tab also beingtapered on the bottom thereof whereby said tab becoming thinner towardsthe cross member.
 3. The combination as defined in claim 1 wherein saidfirst opening being substantially rectangular.